Governor McKee Directs Office of the Health Insurance Commissioner to Put Forward Legislative Proposal to Contain the Cost of Health Insurance

Published on Monday, September 15, 2025

Directive Comes as Insurers Prepare to Increase Premiums in 2026

PROVIDENCE, RI – Ahead of the upcoming legislative session, Governor Dan McKee has directed the Office of the Health Insurance Commissioner (OHIC) to undertake an aggressive review of the drivers of health insurance premiums and identify ways to control these costs.

“Rising health insurance premiums are creating real strain for families across Rhode Island. They simply cannot continue to absorb these costs,” said Governor Dan McKee. “In discussions with the Office of the Health Insurance Commissioner, we have agreed that it’s crucial to create additional tools to strengthen the office's regulatory authority to better control costs for Rhode Islanders. And that’s exactly what we plan to do.”

In a letter [zk8ngbyab.cc.rs6.net] sent to Health Insurance Commissioner Cory King, the Governor highlighted several key priorities to be addressed in the legislative proposal:

• Placing a cap on drivers of premium costs, such as administrative charges.
• Strengthening OHIC’s statutory authority to contain overall premium costs beyond what is currently permitted by law.
• Implementing a temporary moratorium on new unfunded health insurance mandates, giving time to assess the cumulative cost of existing requirements and ensure future mandates don’t unintentionally raise premiums.